City improvements rile South Troy homeowner

Progress comes with a price, but Brian Houle is paying more than his share.

The progress, in this case, is ongoing construction among the densely packed homes of South Troy. Many streets in the neighborhood are receiving new (and badly needed) sidewalks, curbs and streetlights — and utility-line improvements, too.

Construction arrived last week to Houle’s section of First Street. It didn’t make a great first impression.

Workers, digging in front of Houle’s home to access a utility line, inadvertently sent water flowing toward his house. The basement flooded.

“Just imagine all your stuff floating past you,” Houle says.

It was an unfortunate mistake, to say the least. And Houle, who has spent much of recent days hauling water from the cellar, is working with the contractor’s insurance company as he seeks reimbursement for what he estimates is at least $5,000 in damage.

But Houle has other peeves.

First, let’s back up to last summer. That’s when the city, forward looking as ever, held Houle responsible for a crumbled section of sidewalk in front of his house and warned him to fix it, he says. He spent about $350 doing so.

And now — you guessed it — that concrete will be torn up for the new sidewalk.

Also on the city’s hit list: The handsome tree shading Houle’s home, the chain-link fence that fronts the house, and half of his tiny plot of grass. So you can understand why Houle is less than thrilled with the sidewalk project.

The tree, in fact, came down Wednesday. The city will replace it with a spindly newcomer.

“But when am I going to get shade?” Houle asks. “In 20 years?”

Still, it’s impossible to argue that the improvements, funded largely by federal money, aren’t great for South Troy. Many of the neighborhood’s sidewalks have been atomizing disasters for too long, as the city neglected infrastructure. Too many private homeowners, in turn, let their properties slide, too.

But don’t give up on South Troy. It may no longer stand against the world, but it’s an especially resilient neighborhood.

There are encouraging changes planned. Troy planning head Bill Dunne says the infamous riverfront pile of salt, so visible from Interstate 787, is set to move, with the property owner eyeing construction that could bring new housing and more to the Hudson waterfront north of the Poestenkill.

Dunne also says the city is hoping to construct a boat launch at Monroe Street, five blocks north of Houle’s home, and is pushing forward with ways to redevelop empty land immediately south of the Poestenkill, where a project by the Beacon Institute environmental group has stalled.

“I think we’re really close in South Troy,” Dunne said. “People are wanting to live there, and we’re doing everything we can to encourage that.”

Houle, a 40-year-old squeaky wheel who loves a scrap and a challenge, bought his house in 2007, paying $500 for the building at a city auction. I’d say it was a dump and a slum at the time, but that would be a disservice to dumps and slums. The building between Polk and Main streets was an unlivable wreck.

But Houle went to work making the building a home. The Troy native gutted the house, built in 1856, transforming its interior and exterior. Houle, a freelance photographer who has submitted photos to the Times Union, added his front fence as part of that work.

But there’s a problem.

“He never got a permit to put the fence in,” Dunne says.

Oops.

Houle says the city never complained to him about the fence, which apparently sits in the public right of way. Unless the city changes its plan, the fence and much of the lawn behind it will make way for the sidewalk.

Houle, of course, would love to save the fence, which he says helps keep garbage and unwanted strangers off his front porch.

But what he really wants from the city is better communication. How come, he asks, city officials never met with South Troy residents to explain what the project would mean for their homes?

“You would think there’d be some kind of planning,” he says, “and (someone saying), ‘This is how it’s going to go.’”

Better communication is now set to happen, however belatedly. Dunne, who was unaware of Houle’s complaints until I called, plans to meet with the disgruntled homeowner Thursday afternoon.

The meeting won’t save that old tree, but it might otherwise reduce Houle’s price for progress.

“I’m still willing to work with the guy,” Dunne says. “I’m not a big believer in ripping fences out, even if he didn’t do what he was supposed to do.”

9 Responses

The only thing he has a valid complaint about is the water damage to his basement, which is in the process of being attended to.

Fence -he didn’t get the permit.

Tree? I don’t know why the tree is being removed and replaced. Chris?

Yard? Again, why is he having to give up half of his yard? Does he not own that part??

The sidewalk fixing is required and it is disappointing that it is now being removed, but he should have replaced it when he bought the property and who knows when the plans to redo this section were made -probably not before he replace the sidewalk.

Chris, in cities, most of people’s front yards are actually not on their property. Most road right-of-ways extend at least 15 feet past the edge of the pavement. He does not own the land that the tree, his fence or half of the grass in front of his house. Therefore, he needs to stop his whining.

In fact, if he put the fence on City property, they have the right to come up and move it at any time. Just like if he put the fence on his neighbor’s property.

And I’m sure the improvements will look great. Other than the contractor flooding his basement, this homeowner is just an annoying squeaky wheel.

As for the tree, its roots could be impacting the sidewalk or underground utilities. And it’s on the city’s property so they can come in and do whatever they want with it. They don’t even have to replace it with another tree- at least they’re doing that!!

I’d say that he does have a gripe about the $350 bill for the side walk. Tut’s admin knew full well last year that the redo was imminent. There are so many side walks in this city that have needed fixing for DECADES, WHY did they pick on this guy? Here is someone who is actually trying to reclaim an old property. Cut this man some slack already!!!

As for the complaint thaf the homeowner never was
ware of this project, thaf is the bull. I live in this neighborhood and have been to at least 4 meetings to discuss this project. He has no viable excuse fof not attending.

Agreed #5……In fact, the meetings began LAST year in Feb. and there are monthly neighborhood association meetings where everyone iwho lives in this area is invited to attend. The association even sends out email reminders about the meetings and the agendas. Also, one of the groups who was hired by the city to do the feasability studies of this entire project for South Troy came to many of those meetings and met in groups with the residents to get the input of the citizens on the project. While this person has a legitimate complaint about the flooded basement, clearly liability rests with the contractor, he has NO other complaint about the rest of the work. The work the city has completed on this project already has drastically improved this neighborhood, and it looks absolutly great!

This will let everyone know what type of homeowner this guy who is making all these complaints about the improvements the city is making. Today, Friday 5/25/12 while driving by this mans house he has posted a huge sign that reads in part “House for Sale, NY City Absentee landlord wanted (aka Slumlord)” Then it gives a phone number to call. This man has torn siding off his house and Boarded up a couple of upstairs windows to make the house look dilapidated. This resident is not the type of person we want in Troy anyway. I certainly think the advocate should better qualify the residents it is trying to help and make sure that they are not wasting their time advocating for someone who is just upset that they cant have their way.